Partially and fully surface-enabled metal ion-exchanging energy storage devices

Abstract

A surface-enabled, metal ion-exchanging battery device comprising a cathode, an anode, a porous separator, and a metal ion-containing electrolyte, wherein the metal ion is selected from aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), or bismuth (Bi), and at least one of the electrodes contains therein a metal ion source prior to the first charge or discharge cycle of the device and at least the cathode comprises a functional material or nano-structured material having a metal ion-capturing functional group or metal ion-storing surface in direct contact with the electrolyte. This energy storage device has a power density significantly higher than that of a lithium-ion battery and an energy density dramatically higher than that of a supercapacitor.

We claim: 
     
       1. A partially or fully surface-enabled, metal ion-exchanging battery device comprising (a) a positive electrode (cathode), (b) a negative electrode (anode), (c) a porous separator disposed between said cathode and said anode, and (d) an electrolyte in physical contact with said cathode and said anode, wherein said electrolyte contains a metal ion that is exchanged between said cathode and said anode during an operation of said battery device and said metal comprises gallium (Ga), indium (In), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), or bismuth (Bi), wherein at least one of said cathode and said anode contains therein a source of said metal ion prior to a first charge or a first discharge cycle of the battery device and at least the cathode comprises a functional material having a surface-borne metal ion-capturing functional group or a nano-structured material having a metal ion-storing surface in direct contact with said electrolyte to reversibly capture or store said metal ion during charge-discharge operations of said battery, wherein the functional material consists of or contains nano graphene selected from a single-layer graphene sheet or a multi-layer graphene platelet. 
     
     
       2. The partially or fully surface-enabled, metal ion-exchanging battery device of  claim 1 , wherein said exchanging metal ion further contains a metal selected from alkaline-earth metals consisting of beryllium (Be), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), strontium (Sr), barium (Ba), radium (Ra), combinations thereof, and their combinations with lithium, and said electrolyte further contains a metal ion selected from lithium ion, an alkaline metal ion, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
       3. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein said metal further contains a transition metal selected from scandium (Sc), titanium (Ti), vanadium (V), chromium (Cr), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and combinations thereof. 
     
     
       4. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein said electrolyte comprises liquid electrolyte or gel electrolyte. 
     
     
       5. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein said electrolyte comprises a metal ion salt of an alkali metal, alkaline-earth metal, transition metal, aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), or bismuth (Bi), and said metal ion salt is dissolved in an organic solvent. 
     
     
       6. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein said electrolyte comprises a metal ion salt selected from a lithium salt, sodium salt, potassium salt, calcium salt, magnesium salt, zinc salt, titanium salt, transition metal salt, aluminum salt, lithium perchlorate (LiClO 4 ), sodium perchlorate (NaClO 4 ), potassium perchlorate (KClO 4 ), lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF 6 ), sodium hexafluorophosphate (NaPF 6 ), potassium hexafluorophosphate (KPF 6 ), transition metal hexafluorophosphate, aluminum hexafluorophosphate (Al(PF 6 ) 3 ), lithium borofluoride (LiBF 4 ), sodium borofluoride (NaBF 4 ), potassium borofluoride (KBF 4 ), calcium borofluoride (Ca(BF 4 ) 2 ), aluminum borofluoride (Al(BF 4 ) 3 ), transition metal borofluoride, alkaline-earth metal borofluoride, lithium hexafluoroarsenide (LiAsF 6 ), alkali metal hexafluoroarsenide, transition metal hexafluoroarsenide, aluminum hexafluoroarsenides, lithium trifluoro-metasulfonate (LiCF 3 SO 3 ), bis-trifluoromethyl sulfonylimide lithium [LiN(CF 3 SO 2 ) 2 ], or a combination thereof. 
     
     
       7. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein said electrolyte comprises a solvent selected from ethylene carbonate (EC), dimethyl carbonate (DMC), methylethyl carbonate (MEC), diethyl carbonate (DEC), methyl butyrate (MB), ethyl propionate, methyl propionate, propylene carbonate (PC), γ-butyrolactone (γ-BL), acetonitrile (AN), ethyl acetate (EA), propyl formate (PF), methyl formate (MF), toluene, xylene, methyl acetate (MA), or a combination thereof. 
     
     
       8. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said cathode and said anode comprises said functional material having a functional group that reversibly reacts with a metal ion, forms a redox pair with a metal ion, or forms a chemical complex with a metal ion. 
     
     
       9. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein both said cathode and said anode comprise said functional material having a functional group that reversibly reacts with a metal ion, forms a redox pair with a metal ion, or forms a chemical complex with a metal ion. 
     
     
       10. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said cathode and said anode comprise a nano-structured functional material having a specific surface area no less than 100 m 2 /gram to store or support metal ions or atoms thereon. 
     
     
       11. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein both said cathode and said anode comprise a nano-structured functional material having a specific surface area no less than 100 m 2 /gram to store or support metal ions or atoms thereon. 
     
     
       12. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of said cathode and said anode comprise a nano-structured functional material having a specific surface area no less than 500 m 2 /gram to store or support metal ions or atoms thereon. 
     
     
       13. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein both said cathode and said anode comprise a nano-structured functional material having a specific surface area no less than 500 m 2 /gram to store or support metal ions or atoms thereon. 
     
     
       14. The battery device of  claim 1 , wherein said metal ion source comprises a metal chip, metal foil, metal powder, surface stabilized metal particles, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
       15. The battery device of  claim 1  wherein said functional material further comprises a single-walled or multi-walled carbon nanotube. 
     
     
       16. The battery device of  claim 1  wherein each of said anode and said cathode comprises a single-walled or multi-walled carbon nanotube. 
     
     
       17. The battery device of  claim 1  wherein said functional material or nano-structured material has a specific surface area of at least 500 m 2 /g. 
     
     
       18. The battery device of  claim 1  wherein said functional material or nano-structured material has a specific surface area of at least 1,500 m 2 /g. 
     
     
       19. The battery device of  claim 1  wherein said electrolyte further comprises lithium (Li) ions and/or said exchanging metal ion source further contains a Li ion source. 
     
     
       20. The battery device of  claim 1  wherein said electrolyte comprises an alkali metal salt-doped ionic liquid. 
     
     
       21. The battery device of  claim 1  wherein said electrolyte is aqueous electrolyte. 
     
     
       22. The battery device of  claim 1  wherein said electrolyte is organic electrolyte. 
     
     
       23. The battery device of  claim 1  wherein said device provides an energy density of no less than 100 Wh/kg, based on the electrode weight, or a power density no lower than 10 Kw/kg, based on the electrode weight.